About the Book

Title: The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath (The Peculiar Adventures of John Loveheart, Esq. Volume One)

Author: Ishbelle Bee

Publication Dates: June 2, 2015 (US/CAN), 4 June 2015 (UK)

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: 1888. A little girl called Mirror and her extraordinary shape-shifting guardian Goliath Honeyflower are washed up on the shores of Victorian England. Something has been wrong with Mirror since the day her grandfather locked her inside a mysterious clock that was painted all over with ladybirds. Mirror does not know what she is, but she knows she is no longer human.

John Loveheart, meanwhile, was not born wicked. But after the sinister death of his parents, he was taken by Mr Fingers, the demon lord of the underworld. Some say he is mad. John would be inclined to agree.

Now Mr Fingers is determined to find the little girl called Mirror, whose flesh he intends to eat, and whose soul is the key to his eternal reign. And John Loveheart has been called by his otherworldly father to help him track Mirror down…

An extraordinary dark fairytale for adults, for fans of Catherine Valente and Neil Gaiman.

The Interview

How did you come up with the idea for The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath?

I originally wanted to write a story about an exorcism and demonic possession of a little girl. Goliath was going to be a priest. I was researching Victorian Spiritualism at the time and fascinated with the various weird and obscure objects surrounding the cult of death. This all inspired me to create a variety of odd characters within my own very strange Victorian England.

What are some of your favorite classic fairy tales?

My favourite is BLUEBEARD as it’s a really interesting glimpse into the role of self -destructive female desire.

If you could spend the day with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I am going to pick spending the day in a London pub with Neil Gaiman.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader

The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin

The Witch Must Die by Shelden Cashdan

Besides top hats, what do you love the most about the Victorian Era?

Generally the clothing I find gorgeous and wish we all dressed like that today. Monocles, big curved pipes, corsets, weird shaped moustaches. It’s a wonderful, richly strange time in history to write about and even more fun to metamorphose into something even more bizarre. The world of Victorian England is reminiscent of a trifle. The top layer of high society which is emotionally restrained through curious, formal rituals, is the custard. Underneath, the Underworld (sponge fingers and jelly) the home of those repressed desires and violence which when they emerge to the surface can reveal themselves as psychotic episodes.

How would you describe The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath in 10 words or less?

A very strange fairytale in an upside down Victorian England.

Which character was your favorite to write?

Mr Loveheart is my favourite character to write as he’s wonderfully inventive in his language and peculiar in his view of the world. I never quite know how he will react to a situation, he surprises me most of the time and this makes him the most fun to write.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love painting and illustrating and when I finish a book I like to do squiggles of the characters. Big noses are a reoccurring theme ! I have a fondness for drawing nutty looking wizards with big pointy hats.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you?

Yoda (can he be a thing?)

A truck load of chocolate

The Box of Delights (the actual magic box, not the book)

If you could be any animal on a carousel, what would you be, and why?

What a wonderful question! It would be a dragon.

Thanks so much to Ishbelle for taking the time to answer all of our questions, and thanks to you for stopping by!

1 comment:

Intriguing. This has that marvelous tone that the world is full of very dark, dangerous forces that are still too quirky and fascinating to be scary... until they are, of course. It's the essence of the original fairy tale, and a great thing to dress up in Victorian clothes. I hope the book is at least as good as the description!